All's Fair in Love, War, and University
by Kirikiri Mai
Summary: AU. Hyuuga Hinata is a college student quietly making her way through school. As quietly as she can, anyway. Unfortunately for her, trouble is brewing and things are bound to get interesting. The Hyuuga and Uchiha play their puppets well. SasuNaruHina.
1. A Vacation and then Some

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Updates may not be frequent. Sorry.

* * *

The salty aquamarine waters splashed against the small sailboat with white foam topping the crests of the watery waves. Mild winds blew the white canvas sail full, and the sky was filled with the honking and screeching of sea birds. 

It was a crisp Saturday evening, and Hinata had finally been able to get out and rent a small sailboat that she could spend the day sailing in, relaxing and worrying about nothing in particular. She was lucky, she supposed, to have gotten a boating license when she was fifteen, and every once in awhile she had been able to surf the sea, breathe the fresh air, and get away from the tedium of Hyuuga business matters.

Not that it mattered now, anyway. She smiled inwardly at the memory of the day when she finally became free of her future position as chairman of Hyuuga Co., the day when she stopped dancing around the issue and put her foot down against majoring in business at Uchiwa University. She felt lucky to have escaped the ominous fate of attending Hina College though, where business skills came before anything. She thanked Kami for that, at least.

She had known that she simply couldn't survive as the manager of all those stuffy, pale-eyed people who would suck up to her just because of her position (but probably acted like the duplicitous bastards they were to pretty much everyone else). She had lasted through all the pre-business classes, but really, Hanabi took to it much faster and enthusiastically. Perhaps she wanted the power and control that came inevitably with being a Hyuuga businesswoman in the Hyuuga company. Hinata snorted at the thought, knowing that _she_ would never want such a position for the great manipulative power it came with. Hell, she didn't even like manipulating people.

A particularly strong gale of wind burst past the little boat, and Hinata immediately turned her attention to the matter at hand. She skillfully adjusted the sails, and soon the sailing became smooth again. She loved how the cool wind blew towards her and caused her dark hair to flutter freely; still, it was quite chilly, and she hugged her somewhat thin jacket closer to herself.

The sun was slowly setting, and as it sank lower into the vast expanse of blue, it cast its last rays across the sky and sea, turning the clouds a range of colors from purple to orange to pink. As Hinata glanced across the waters, she was enveloped with a feeling of tranquility. The past few months she had been dealing with repercussions from the major position refusal, so peace was rare and hard to come by, and while she was immensely happy that she was, in a sense, free, there were several complications that marred what would otherwise be a perfect situation.

Since her family co-owned the Uchiwa school along with the Uchihas, Naras, and Uzumakis, she attended there free of cost, and her father had stated so and had even written up a legal document for her when she asked for it at the very beginning of school. However, though she did not have to worry about school funds, there were many other troublesome monetary problems, such as living space, food, clothing, and gas. She knew she probably shouldn't have spent money on this little vacation, but it had been months since she had been able to get out…

Currently she was living in a small apartment close to the school within walking distance, and after school she dumped all her things there, and she immediately left for work, which was, a mere five minute drive away, at the ever so popular Juci-Y, a healthy beverage shop and one of the sources of income that she had so she could support herself Her greatest trouble was spreading her paycheck enough to cover the costs of all the essentials. She hadn't bought any new clothes in awhile, and unfortunately some of her older clothes were starting to get worn from frequent use, such as the jacket she currently had on.

She worked at the Juic-Y from four to eight, and after that, she drove to the martial arts practice session where she helped younger students with their katas and such for about two hours, in return receiving a nice pay check and getting some practice in herself.

She was debating whether she should try to get some students for the piano and violin, but she hadn't acted on that train of thought yet. She had a piano and violin from the time she moved out because she had fortunately been able to take the instruments with her when she left. Although the piano did make the apartment a bit crowded, it likewise gave the small space an overall pleasant and aesthetic quality. She constantly reminded herself that having her favorite instruments with her was a definite blessing despite the costs of replacement strings and other various maintenance matters that would turn up at the most inopportune times. Plus, it was especially nice to be able to calm herself down with her music when she was feeling too much stress.

At school, things were a bit awkward. The Hyuuga at school simply treated her as if she did not exist, her cousin Neji included, though that she expected, as he had not been one to show any type of recognition or acknowledgment towards her whatsoever ever since the incident. She was hopeful, however, that she had succeeded in blending with the background to the best of her ability, and her proof was that the other students had not taken any hostile actions against her. Yet.

As to what motive they would have to want to harm her, she had only a slight idea, but the slightly paranoid side of her consciousness whispered that things had only been held back and might soon be released.

As she shook herself from her thoughts, Hinata glanced about at her surroundings once more. It was getting rather late, and the temperature had decreased steadily. There were few people out at this time, so with one last look at the sunset, she turned her boat back towards the shore. The craft glided over the waters smoothly and Hinata scanned the area ahead, making sure the coast was clear. The waters and the sky became darker and less inviting, and Hinata hurriedly pressed her boat onward. Suddenly, she felt a suspicious premonition She glanced back at the horizon apprehensively.

In her line of sight was a person flailing desperately about in the water. Hinata gasped harshly at the sight and immediately turned her boat around to investigate. She maneuvered her boat towards the person and soon reached him, and she quickly threw out a rubber red and white lifesaver out towards him. The ring sailed through the air and began to fall. Sadly, from what she could see, the lifesaver wouldn't make it far enough, but just then a brief gust of wind blew it just a little bit farther and the mysterious person grabbed onto it as best as he could and stuck his head through. She started hauling in the person, struggling to get the body out of the water, off and over the side and into the boat. Her hands were red from the effort of pulling so hard on the rope, but she paid them no attention. Another cold gust of wind blew past, and she shivered uncontrollably. Her teeth were chattering, and she knew had to hurry back soon. Her urgency might have lent her strength, for with a final jerk on the net, she finally hauled the person onboard. She pulled the lifesaver off over the now barely conscious person and took a good look at who exactly she had 'saved.'

Her face paled and all the blood slowly drained away. Of all the people in the world…

It just had to be everyone's idol, the handsome prettyboy, the one and only… Uchiha Sasuke.

* * *

Hinata was in a rather troublesome quandary. Now at the dock, she had to turn in her boat soon, but there was a major problem that prevented her from doing anything at the moment. That particular problem went by the name of Sasuke. Currently he was out cold on the deck and dripping ocean water all over the place. Hinata sighed inwardly. If she didn't do something quickly, he would probably freeze solid, or get pneumonia, or something worse. But on the other hand, she didn't have any extra clothing with her or any heating items, and she was rather unwilling to touch him She didn't know why exactly, but she just had a bad feeling about doing that. As if her brain screeched sirens as a warning every time she thought about it. 

She looked quickly around, but it was just her luck that at this time there was no one around. So she squatted and waited. Unfortunately for her, she was in for a long wait.

* * *

Sasuke's first coherent thought was, _Am I alive?_

Then he opened his eyes. Okay, so that was a stupid question. Whatever. What really mattered to him now was, where in the world he was and why the hell he was numb all over. He really, really hoped that he didn't have paralysis from the neck down. Now that would be bad. Extremely bad.

"You're awake?"

A voice. Not his own, definitely. He wouldn't talk to himself in second person, after all, and his voice was not that high pitched. But if it wasn't his, whose was it? Who could be so close by? He remembered the question and decided to answer it. He opened his mouth and moved it a bit to check to make sure it was functioning properly. One never knew what might have happened, and it never hurt to do a quick test and inventory check.

"Yes." Good. His voice was intact. Next on his agenda, to extract the details of where he was. "Where am I?"

* * *

Hinata was sure she had been sitting next to the Uchiha for an hour. She knew it. So she didn't have a watch, but that didn't really matter. It felt like at least an hour for sure. An hour of just sitting and staring at him, waiting for a sign, any sign of awareness so she could leave and not feel guilty at leaving an unconscious person behind. And that just wasn't her way, no matter who it was. 

It was already bad enough that the person she had rescued from the water had been Uchiha Sasuke. The Uchihas did own half the Uchiwa school (and then some), and she had no idea how he would react. What would happen to her now? She supposed things couldn't get any worse than they were at the moment.

That was when he decided to open his eyes. As she had been staring at his face for the past half hour or so, she immediately noticed the small change and almost jumped at the tiny motion. "Are you awake?"

"Yes." Thank Kami he answered! Now he could get up and she could leave… "Where am I?"

* * *

Sasuke sat still in the front passenger seat of the black car. Here he was, an ultra-rich college boy, and he couldn't even get public transportation without his wallet, which happened to be in his jeans, which happened to be somewhere out in the ocean where the tide had carried them far far away from civilization, from where he could find them again. 

So that was why he was currently in Hinata's small sedan, hitching a ride with his sav-… with the person that had pulled him out of the water.

After their initial greeting and introduction (he wasn't a bit surprised to know that she knew him, or knew of him, because he was an Uchiha), Sasuke had discovered that his body was somewhat frozen but he could move rather sluggishly. However, that was an overstatement to say the least. He could have walked to the main road by himself, but at his 'rather sluggish' rate, well, giving him a day might not be enough. So, to his great embarrassment, he was given… a piggyback ride. A reluctant one on both their parts, but Hinata was surprisingly strong for one with her slender build, and he would love to see her in the rain with that white T-shirt… but he had quickly dumped those thoughts out of his head. But really, why did she look familiar, and yet he had some trouble recalling where he had seen her? And she didn't act like his usual fangirls either… That was definitely something to consider. But now his eyes were drooping and his throat was becoming sore. He decided it was time to get some sleep.

* * *

Hinata was annoyed. After all that waiting, she still ended up having to touch him and now she was stuck driving him… to her apartment. At least he hadn't taken things badly though, and she was rather relieved at that. 

She glanced at him briefly and shook her head. Yes, he looked as though he had come down with something, although what exactly she did not know. Her apartment was the closest place around, and he needed some treatment, probably. To top it all off, he had just fallen asleep… and there went any chance that he would say something about going anywhere else. Oh please. Well, to her apartment it was. The light became green, and she stepped on the gas. Another sleepless night for her…


	2. Progressive Thoughts

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Seriously.

* * *

Chapter 2 Progressive Thoughts 

Sunlight streamed through the windows of the little apartment, replacing the shades of grey that had tinted the room with natural colors.

Hinata rubbed her eyes as if trying to get the tiredness out. She had stayed up most of the night watching her patient and taking care of him. There was no end to the things she had done – turning up the heater, fetching more blankets, retrieving an ice pack, checking the temperature, bringing water, and pouring medicine…

Needless to say, she was rather exhausted. At least it was a Sunday, and as soon as the Uchiha left, she could get some sleep. He was bound to wake up any time now. As the night progressed, his temperature had decreased, and he gradually stopped shivering. In fact, he now seemed perfectly well, which was quite surprising, and she had never seen anyone recover so quickly, but it certainly wasn't a bad thing. Then Hinata noticed the rays of light indicating the start of a new day, and she sighed and slowly got up to get prepare some breakfast. She opened the door and quietly slipped out.

Sasuke opened his eyes. He felt much more alive now that he'd had a good long rest, and he sat up and yawned widely, simultaneously rubbing the last vestiges of sleep out of his eyes. So now it was time to get up and…

Oh crap.

The Bet.

Sasuke had forgotten all about The Bet. The one he had made with Uzumaki. He inwardly groaned and would have mentally slapped his forehead if he had been prone to do things of that nature. It had been completely erased from his memory yesterday night, and being rather sick, he had just went and fell asleep… It was no use thinking about it now with Naruto conspicuously missing, so he put off on his list of things to do for later. He sighed and swung his legs over the bed, going over what had happened last night in his head. After being picked up by a girl named Hinata, he had fallen asleep, and now he was in a bedroom of some sorts. He wondered what he had said last night, for he did not recall anything from the previous evening, nor did he remember who she was except for her name. He looked towards the door as if hoping for answers to appear. Everything was starting to frustrate him.

As Hinata came back into her bedroom with two plates of some plain food, she noticed that Sasuke had gotten up from his prostrate position and was now sitting on the edge of the bed, staring straight at her. She blinked at the change, and after a moment's pause, put the plates down on the wooden table and asked, "Would you like some breakfast?"

Sasuke, however, merely stared at her strangely. He seemed to have not heard her question.

Sasuke stared blankly at the girl who had just walked in. Her form barely registered in his mind, but his subconscious made an appraising comment, which he pointedly ignored. The female that had just entered the room hadn't made any loud noises or tried to make physical contact. That surprised him more than he would have liked, but he refrained from making useless commentary on it. At the moment, he needed to contact Naruto.

"Let me use your phone." Silently, she led him out into the main room and gestured in the direction of the far wall, where there hung a phone on the wall. As if she had known what he needed, she slipped him a piece of paper with her address on it, which she had taken the time to scribble out as he followed her out the door. Well, that was convenient, although not exactly necessary. He nodded as acknowledgment and critically surveyed the room. Surprisingly, what met his eye was not the least unpleasant. Small, yet soothing. He approved of the way she arranged the furniture and musical ornaments. However, not one to dawdle long, he strode across the small space, quickly plucked the wireless set from its hook on the wall, and made his call to his friend Uzumaki, who he knew was close by.

As soon as he finished the call and hung up, he began contemplating the puzzle that was Hinata. He didn't really remember where he might have seen her or how all he knew was her first name, and she acted differently from most of the girls he knew.

He should find some way to repay her, for… for watching over him though. Especially when Naruto had decided not to come through. He had been watching, after all, and he knew what was going on. Perhaps, he mused, he should give her something that girls would swoon at. He thought about it for a bit longer and finally cleared his throat. In the most cordial voice he could muster, he asked her,

"Would you like to go out on a date?"

There, he smirked arrogantly. No one could resist his Uchiha charm, and she was sure to be no exception. He was everything a girl wanted, right? He had the looks, the money, and the power. What girl would say no? He rather impatiently waited for her response but outwardly showed no signs of impatience. His nine words hung there in the air.

After a long pause, there was just a quiet, plain,

"No, thank you."

She had answered. He smugly prepared to leave, inwardly picturing himself making a V for Victory while a miniature Naruto, Neji, and Shikamaru glared the word Vendetta. Then it hit him. He thought he had just heard her answer in the negative. Frankly, that struck him mentally as nothing could. But then the obvious explanation came to him –he had simply heard wrong.

Hinata had declined his offer as politely as she could while keeping any signs of incredulity from showing in her countenance. She had almost been shocked out of her skin at his proposal, but she had been able to keep a level head, and she swiftly came to the logical conclusion that she could gain nothing from going out with him except infamy at school among his fangirls and especially the Hyuuga. They would definitely be annoyed that she, the Outcast, was consorting with Him, the Uchiha Sasuke. Not to mention that Sasuke was close friends with her cousin Neji, who at the moment was rather busy with not talking to her at school.

Besides, she didn't exactly harbor a secret passionate love for him and certainly wasn't the type to swoon at his feet when her heart felt faint, which it didn't, thank you very much. As she thought about his little groupie, she realized that she didn't like Nara Shikamaru, the third member of his group either, being mostly too lazy to act so high and mighty, but would put others down with his superior intelligence out of boredom to stir things up a bit, and that always left bad feelings behind. But as for the fourth and final member of the gang last person in his clique, Uzumaki Naruto, well… she blushed a tiny bit as she thought about him. He was always so cheerful and energetic, and he never seemed to get down. Also, he rarely acted as condescending as the others.

She knew Sasuke was physically attractive, and incredibly so, but she wasn't the type to throw herself at his feet just for that. She doubted any of his fangirls ever tried to get to know him. As Hinata thought about the most popular group at Uchiwa University, she recalled details about Sasuke she had seen personally or heard about … like his attitude. She had forgotten last night because he was unusually subdued, but now that she thought about it, that must have simply been because he was sick. Now back to full health, he was probably also back to his commanding, I-can-get-anything-I-want-while-keeping-a-deceptively-calm-façade mindset that she had often seen. And that, she knew, was not good. Not good at all.

She watched him apprehensively as he showed barely any outward signs of irritation. He remained stoic and deadpan, but she thought she detected the tiniest tensing of muscles and the slightest twitch of his eyebrow. She was impressed though, for without the body language training from her past, she wouldn't have noticed anything. So maybe he was more disciplined than she thought. Suddenly the slight aura of ill will he had been emanating vanished.

"Excuse me. I think I might have misheard your response just then. Would you like to go out on a _date_?" He repeated his question, stressing the last word just the tiniest bit desperately.

She raised her eyebrows. Denial? A desperate tactic for desperate measures. Should she take the chance and smooth things over? But the last thing she wanted now was to go out with this rather egotistical guy, even if he, or at least his family, did own half the businesses in Kanto. And more. She wasn't the type to take advantage of someone's money.

She had decided already.

"Um, no." As an afterthought, she added, "Sorry." Now that probably wouldn't help, but it made her feel a little better. She began the tense wait for his response. Please, please, just concede and leave.

Sasuke's ego was unpleasantly deflated with the terse refusal. He was at a loss at how to respond. This girl had just refused him! Him! He was so ill at ease that he hadn't heard her quick apology. Grabbing at lifelines, he muttered lamely, "Let me pay you for your help, at least." At least let him do that.

But Hinata politely declined that too, simply murmuring that she was happy to help and he did not need to pay her for anything. Once again at a loss, he stood there blankly. He had never had to deal with a situation like this before. Well, he amended, not with strangers and almost-strangers. Only Itachi made him feel inferior and made him lose his composure. He immediately stopped that train of thought. Now was not the time to think about his brother.

Slowly, annoyance and cold anger seeped into his mind. No, he didn't owe her anything. He had just offered her the best things, and here she was, brushing the offers off like they were nothing. Like he was nothing. No one should do that to him, and for that, he would show her the extent of his influence and what he could accomplish as an Uchiha.

He narrowed his eyes dangerously and said, "Well, if you feel that way, but I'm sure-" He bent his head abruptly and swept out the room, out the apartment. Just as he stepped outside, he remembered who she was. A Hyuuga. Interesting. Once at the road, he muttered ominously, "I'm sure I have something in store for you."

Hinata watched him leave with some relief, yet she couldn't help but feel that things had just gotten worse. How had the situation deteriorated so quickly? How had things spiraled out of control? And to top it all off, she had seen a flash of recognition as he stepped outside. Standing up, she walked over to the open door and closed it. She leaned against it and slumped down, rubbing her temples. Gods, she needed a long nap.

Hinata stood in the crowded hallway, curiously peering around the congregated students and wondering what had happened to cause such a commotion. Hey eyes widened, but only a fraction, at the sight of some unfortunate student sitting on the ground with his belongings spread out around him. 

"Screw you!" the student yelled at some people standing nearby, who she couldn't see too clearly. She shifted about to get a better view.

"I do resemble that remark, don't I?" one of the unknown spectators drawled.

"_Oh, but this immature oddity knows we're not gay. I'm sorry to say we'll have to decline his offer. But we'll let him go this time. You know what they say, live to screw another day." Another person had spoken up lazily. Hinata, however, was not so clueless as to who it was this time. In fact, she was beginning to dread what was coming. She hurried away from the scene, only in time to hear an angry voice yell,_

"_You can't make me leave this school!"_

_There was a stagnant silence, and Hinata's steps slowed to a stop._

"_I do believe you are unwarrantedly disturbing the peace of this place, good sir. We have, as of this class break, treated you with nothing but the utmost respect." Several female students giggled nervously. "My fellow classmen, I leave you to your happy duty. But do try to keep him in one piece." And with that, the crowd mobilized, gleefully shrieking and doing what they had been asked to do._

* * *

"Idiotic bitch refused," Sasuke replied angrily. 

Naruto only raised an eyebrow at this. "She has guts. Think on the bright side. At least it wasn't in public." He snorted. "I would have paid good money to see this. The day Sasuke got turned down by the girl who he spent a night with."

"Shut up. Please. I already have to pay you for our bet. Try not to provoke me further. Suicidal tendencies, much?"

"You know it's my job. It's your fault you have so many buttons that I can push," he cackled gleefully. "You catch her name by any chance?" He remarked offhandedly.

"Hyuuga Hinata. She's going to have a hell of a time this next semester. I don't think we'll eject just yet. It's rarely a girl that we do. But she'll be gone by the end. I'll see to that."

* * *

_A/N: I can't believe how anticlimatic this is. Just... Review please?_


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